Transcript Farming the waters - Alabama Cooperative Extension System

“Farming the Waters”
An Introduction to Aquaculture
Aquaculture vs. Agriculture
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Fish farm is similar to cattle feedlot
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Fish farms raise fish for market, sport
fishing, etc.
Variety of levels in the aquaculture
industry as in livestock industry
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Warm water vs. cold water
Better converters of foodstuffs
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Hatcheries
Fingerling production
Food fish production
Variable body temperature
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Ponds are closely packed and fish are fed heavily
1 ½ lb of feed = 1 lb of fish
Requires less energy for body support
What is Aquaculture?
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“Aquaculture is the farming of
aquatic organisms, including
fish, mollusks, crustaceans and
aquatic plants.”
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Farming implies some form of
intervention in the rearing process
to enhance production, such as
regular stocking, feeding,
protection from predators, etc.
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Farming also implies individual or
corporate ownership of the stock
being cultivated.
History of Aquaculture
• 3500 B.C. – China was the first country to farm fish. They
cultivated carp with freshwater ponds and rice paddies.
• 1733 – Fish farming in its modern form begins when a
German farmer successfully gathers trout eggs, fertilizes
them, and then grows the hatched fish to maturity.
• 1853 – An Ohio trout farm becomes the first in the U.S. to
artificially fertilize its fish eggs.
• 1909 – The first commercial trout farm in the U.S.
established in Idaho.
• 1930s – President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Farm Pond
Program encourages the growth of the U.S. aquaculture
industry by providing federal subsidies for building and
stocking fishponds on farms.
History Cont’d
• 1910 – State and federal hatcheries in the U.S. develop
channel catfish farming techniques.
• 1970s – U.S. catfish farm acreage grows from 400 acres in
1960 to 40,000 in 1970.
• 1980s – The National Aquaculture Act of 1980 is passed in
the U.S. to provide for the development of the aquaculture
industry.
Species Selection
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Producer’s expertise
Water supply and climate
Species biology
Marketability
Production methods
Production economics
Biological Characteristics
• Saltwater vs.
Freshwater
• Water temperature
• Climate
What to grow?
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Catfish
Crawfish
Baitfish
Largemouth bass, bluegill,
and other sport fish
fingerlings
Rainbow trout
Striped bass, hybrid striped
bass, and red drum
Tropical aquarium fish
And the list goes on…
Economic Significance
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Alabama commercially produces approximately 20 aquatic species.
There are over 25,000 water acres of fish farms in AL and approximately 250
producers, with 200 considered as “large-scale”.
Over 131 million pounds of catfish produced in 2006.
Alabama catfish production is second only to Mississippi with Hale county
ranked 6th nationally.
Alabama aquaculture is worth $115 million to producers.
Approximately 2,700 AL jobs are directly engaged in catfish
production/processing.
Economic Significance
• Farm Gate Value: $978
Million
• Total Value: $5.6 Billion
• 181,000 Full-time Jobs
• Fastest Growing Sector Of
U.S. Agriculture
Economic Significance
Favorite U.S. Seafoods in 2004, lb/person
1. Shrimp – 4.2
2. Canned tuna – 3.3
3. Salmon – 2.2
4. Pollock - 1.3
5. Catfish - 1.1
6. Tilapia - 0.7
7. Crab - 0.63
8. Cod – 0.60
9. Clams - 0.47
10. Flatfish - 0.33
Economic Significance
Careers in Aquaculture
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Feed Research
Extension Agent
Farm Owner & Laborer
Teacher
Aquatic Hardware Design
Wholesaler
State Hatchery
College Professor
Aquatic Veterinarian
Marketing
Mission Work
Scientific Research
Retailer
Chemical Research
Geneticist/Biotechnology
Processing Facility
Medical Research
State Inspector